Ophthalmic ergograph



y 1935- c. BERENS I 2,009,158

OPHTHALMIC ERGOGRAPH Filed Aug. 1, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR (UN/PAD BERE/VS Maw ATTORNEY tween the bars Ea and 6b and it is positioned to engage the teeth of the ratchet. The pawl is moved about its pivotal connection through a vertical rod i0 slidably mounted in the base at one end and pivotally connected to the pawl at the other end. A lever H, pivotally mounted between its ends in a slot formed in the base has one end engaging the rod l0 and the other pivotally connected to a button l2 mounted in the base. When the button is pressed, the rod I0 is actuated through the lever l2 and brings the pawl into engagement with the ratchet which prevents further movement of the carriage towards the standard 2.

On the carriage, there is mounted a test-object carrier. The test-object carrier consists of a channel shaped base 13a embracing the carriage and an upright l3b extending vertically from the end nearer the standard 2. The base is provided with a strip I30 having a downwardly extending flange into which a thumb screw M is threaded. The base is slidable on the carriage and may be fixed in any position on the carriage by the thumb screw 14. The upright [3b is a sheet metal card holder having one end extending at right angles and secured to the base 132) and the side edges folded over to embrace the edges of a card such as the card I5 having a dot of a particular size thereon.

The carriage is moved towards the standard 2 by a spring and the speed of movement is controlled by a fluid check mechanism. At any point in its movement towards the standard, the move ment of the carriage may be arrested and returned against the action of the spring. For the purpose of so operating the carriage, a bracket It is secured to the web of the carriage and extends downwardly between the bars Ba and 62). To the bracket, there is pivotally secured one end of a lever l1, the other end of which is pivotally secured to one end of an arm 18 mounted on a shaft [5 extending from, and journaled in the side of the casing of a fluid check mechanism. The shaft H! has a gear 20 mounted thereon which meshes with a gear 2| mounted on the shaft 22 of the check mechanism 23. The check mechanism may be of any of the well known types but it is preferably an oil type and may be of the radial vane type having a check valve through the vane and an oil passage from one side of the chamber to the other. A valve, such as the valve 23a is used in the oil passage for controlling the flow of oil and thus the speed of movement of the vane. The shaft 23 extends through the check mechanism and there is a spring 24 wound about the shaft. One end of the spring is secured to a pin 25 extending from the side of the case of the check mechanism and the other end is curled around a lever 26 mounted on the shaft 22. The lever 26 is provided with a handle 21 for the manual operation thereof. It will be apparent that when the lever 26 is moved towards the base, in a counter-clockwise direction as illustrated in Fig. l, the carriage I is moved towards the standard 3. At the same time the spring 24 is wound so that when the lever is released, the spring actuates the lever in a clockwise direction and the carriage is moved towards the standard 2, the speed of movement being controlled by the check mechanism.

Movement of the carriage is recorded by a kymograph which is provided for that purpose. A plate 21 is secured to and extends downwardly from the cross rail 30. Extending through the plate 21 and perpendicular thereto, there is a shaft 28 on which a drum 29 is rotatably mounted. On the end of the drum adjacent the plate there is a circular ratchet 29a. A pawl 38 is slidably mounted on the plate 21 and positioned to engage the ratchet. Movement of the pawl 33 to the left as seen in Fig. 5 causes the drum to rotate counter-clockwise. A pivotally mounted stop pawl 3| prevents rotation of the drum in a clockwise direction. The pawl 3fi is spring pressed towards the right as seen in Fig. 5 by springs 32 and 33. A spring 34 maintains the pawl 3| in engagement with the ratchet. The end of the pawl is provided with a lateral flange Eta which lies in the path of a pin 35a depending from one arm of a bell crank lever 35 pivotally mounted on the bar 6a. The other arm of the bell crank lever lies in the path of a flange of the carriage 1. Thus, when the carriage is moved toward the standard 3, the bell crank lever is actuated and in turn actuates the pawl 30 to rotate the drum slightly. The drum is thus moved for each reciprocation of the carriage.

A trough shaped sheet metal strip 36 secured to the base I constitutes a holder for a rolled web of paper 31 which is fed over the drum. The end of the web of paper is inserted in a slot in the surface of the drum and the paper is held tightly against the surface of the drum by a tension member 38 pivotally mounted on a pin 39 extending between brackets 40a and 40b secured to the base. The tension member is resiliently pressed against the drum by a spring 4|. To the side of the carriage i there is pivotally secured a rod 42 which extends over the drum. In this rod, adjustable thereon, there is a stylograph pen holder 43'which receives and holds a stylograph pen 44 in contact with the web of paper on the drum on which successive movements of the carriage are recorded, as illustrated by the record 45 shown in Fig. 7.

In using the ergograph, the head is fixed by having the patient bite the tongue depressor. The distance lenses or near lenses are worn and the near point of convergence or accommodation is tested five times and averaged. In taking the near point the carriage is held at the back of the track and the test object carrier is moved on the track. The test object carrier is usually receded 20 mm. from the average near point of convergence or accommodation; if the patients accommodation or convergence is too poorly sustained, a greater amplitude of excursion is permitted. The time is noted. In testing convergence fatigue the patient permits the test object to approach the eyes until doubling of the dot on line occurs. At this point, the patient actuates the lever to return the carriage. In testing fatigue of accommodation a line of print is used inplace of the dot and the patient stops the forward motion of the test object and returns the carriage when the print blurs with the right or left eye or with both eyes. When blurring occurs in accommodative fatigue plus lenses are placed before the eyes to determine whether the fatigue is accommodative or retinal.

The test is continued for 10 to 15 minutes, after which the duration of the test, the symptoms during and after the test, and the cooperation of the patient are noted. The muscle balance after the test and also the near point of accommodation or convergence are restudied and recorded. The ergograph may be used in the same way for exercising the eyes of patients suffering'from insufiiciency of accommodation and convergence. I

It will be obvious that various changes may be made by those skilled in theart in the details of the embodiment illustrated and'described within the principle and scope of the invention as'ex pressed in theappended claims.

I claim:

-1. An ophthalmic ergograph comprising a base, a movable, test-object carrier supported by the base, means for moving the carrier in one direction, a fluid check mechanism for controlling the movement of the carrier under the action of said carrier moving means, manually operative means for returning the carrier to its original position, and means for recording the extent of movement of the carrier.

2. An ophthalmic ergograph comprising a base, a movable test-object carrier supported by the base, resilient means for moving the carrier in one direction, a fluid check mechanism for controlling the movement of the carrier, manually operative means for returning the carrier to its original position, and means for recording the extent of movement of the carrier.

3. An ophthalmic ergograph comprising a frame, a slidably mounted carriage, a test-object carrier mounted on the carriage and movable with respect thereto, means for moving the carriage in one direction, a check mechanism for 'efiecting controlled movement of the carriage under the action of said carriage moving means, manually operative means for stopping and returning the carriage to its original position, and means for recording the extent of movement of the carriage.

4. An ophthalmic ergograph comprising a frame, a slidably mounted carriage, a test-object carrier mounted on the carriage and movable with respect thereto, means for moving the carriage in one direction, a check mechanism for eiiecting controlled movement of the carriage under the action of said carriage moving means, manually operative means for stopping and returning the carriage to its original position, and means for recording successive movements of the carriage comprising a rotatably mounted drum, a stylograph pen holder on the carriage and means for rotating the drum when the carriage is returned to its original position.

5. An ophthalmic ergograph comprising a frame, a slidably mounted carriage, a testobject carrier mounted on the carriage and movable with respect thereto, a check mechanism for effecting controlled movement of the carriage, manually operative means for stopping and returning the carriage to its original position, and means for recording successive movement of the carriage comprising a rotatably mounted drum, a ratchet on one end of the drum, a stylograph pen holder on the carriage, a pawl mounted in operative relation to the ratchet on the drum and means for actuating the pawl upon the return of the carriage after movement by said carriage moving means.

6. An ophthalmic ergograph comprising a frame including a pair of spaced standards and a support extending between the standards, a test-object carrier slidably mounted on the support for movement between the standards, means for moving the test-object carrier towards one of the standards, a check mechanism for controlling the movement of the carriage in response to said carriage, moving means, and manually operative means for stopping and returning the carriage.

'7. An ophthalmic ergograph comprising a frame including two spaced standards and a bar extending between the standards, a test-object carrier slidably mounted onthe bar for move ment between the standards, resilient means for sliding the carrier along the bar towards one of the standards, a check mechanism for controlling the speed of movement of the carrier, and manually operative means for stopping and reversing the movement of the carrier.

8. An ophthalmic ergograph comprising a frame including a base, two spaced standards extending from the base and a bar extending between and supported by the standards, a testobject carrier slidably mounted on the bar for movement between the standards, resilient means for sliding the carrier along the bar towards one of the standards, a check mechanism for controlling the speed of movement of the carrier, and manually operative means for stopping and reversing the movement of the carrier.

9. An ophthalmic ergograph comprising a frame including a base, two spaced standards extending from the base and a bar extending between and supported by the standards, a holder for a tongue depressor on one of the standards, a test-object carrier slidably mounted on the bar for movement between the standards, resilient means for moving the carrier towards the standard having the tongue-depressor holder, a check mechanism. for controlling thespeed of movement of the carrier, and manually operative means for stopping and reversing the movement of the carrier.

l0. An ophthalmic ergograph comprising a frame including a base, two spaced standards extending from the base and a bar extending between and supported by the standards, a holder for a tongue depressor on one of the standards, a carriage slidably mounted on the bar for movement between the standards, a test-object carrier mounted on the carriage and movable with respect thereto, resilient means for moving the carriage towards the standard having the tonguedepressor holder, a check mechanism for controlling the speed of movement of the carrier, and manually operative means for stopping and reversing the movement of the carriage.

11. An ophthalmic ergograph comprising a frame including a base, two spaced standards extending from the base and a bar extending between and supported by the standards, a holder for a tongue depressor on one of the standards, a carriage slidably mounted on the bar for movement between the standards, a test-object carrier mounted on the carriage and movable with respect thereto, resilient means for moving the carriage towards the standard having the tonguedepressor holder, a check mechanism for con- I trolling the speed of movement of the carrier, manually operative means for stopping and reversing the movement of the carriage, and means for recording successive movements of the carriage comprising a rotatably mounted drum, a

stylograph pen holder on the carriage and means for rotating the drum upon returningthe carriage after movement by said resilient means.

12. An ophthalmic ergograph comprising a frame including a base, two spaced standards extending from the base and a bar extending between and supported by the standards, a holder for a tongue depressor on one of the standards, a carriage slidably mounted on the bar for movement between the standards, a test-object carrier mounted on the carriage and movable With respect thereto, resilient means for moving the carriage towards the standard having the tonguedepressor holder, a check mechanism for controlling the speed of movement of the carrier, manually operative means for stopping and re-. versing the movement of the carriage, and means for recording successive movements of the car- CONRAD BERENs. 

